Base position optimization of mobile manipulators for machining large complex components

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the base position and the largest working area for mobile manipulators. The base position determines the workspace of the mobile manipulator, particularly when the operation mode is intermittent (i.e. the mobile platform stops when the manipulator conducts the task). When the base of the manipulator is in the intersection area of the Base’s Workable Location Spaces (BWLSes), the end effector (EE) can reach all path points. In this study, the intersection line of BWLSes is calculated numerically, and the largest working area is determined using the BWLS concept. The performance of this method is validated with simulations on specific surface segments, such as plane, cylinder and conical surface segments. Design/methodology/approach – The BWLS is used to determine the largest working area and the base position in which the mobile manipulator can reach all path points with the objective of reducing off-line planning time. Findings – Without considering the orientation of the EE, the base position and the working area for the mobile manipulator are determined using the BWLS. Compared to other methods, the proposed algorithm is beneficial when the planning problem has six dimensions, ensuring the reachability and stability of the EE. Originality/value – The algorithm needs no manual configuration, and its performance is investigated for typical surfaces in practical applications.

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Study on robotic mobile machining techniques for large complex components

Scientia Sinica Technologica ◽

10.1360/n092018-00192 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (12) ◽

pp. 1302-1312

Author(s):

Bo TAO ◽

XingWei ZHAO ◽

Han DING

Keyword(s):

Large Complex ◽

Complex Components

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Fused Deposition Modeling Design Rules for Building Large, Complex Components

Computer-Aided Design and Applications ◽

10.1080/16864360.2015.1114393 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 348-368 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

R. J. Urbanic ◽

R. Hedrick

Keyword(s):

Fused Deposition Modeling ◽

Design Rules ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Large Complex ◽

Deposition Modeling ◽

Complex Components

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Base Position Planning for Picking Tasks by Mobile Manipulators

Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan ◽

10.7210/jrsj.33.355 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 355-361

Author(s):

Kensuke Harada ◽

Tokuo Tsuji ◽

Kohei Kikuchi ◽

Kazuyuki Nagata ◽

Hiromu Onda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mobile Manipulators ◽

Base Position

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Novel Mode and Equipment for Machining Large Complex Components

Journal of Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.3901/jme.2020.19.070 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 56 (19) ◽

pp. 70

Author(s):

XIE Fugui ◽

MEI Bin ◽

LIU Xinjun ◽

ZHANG Jiabo ◽

YUE Yi

Keyword(s):

Large Complex ◽

Complex Components

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Starting Base Position Optimization in Integrated Task Planning for Mobile Manipulators Painting Large Workpieces

Volume 2: Advanced Manufacturing ◽

10.1115/imece2017-70465 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Qiankun Yu ◽

Guolei Wang ◽

Tianyu Ren ◽

Xiaotong Hua ◽

Ken Chen

Keyword(s):

Function Method ◽

Optimization Problem ◽

Operation Mode ◽

Inverse Kinematic ◽

Penalty Function Method ◽

Mobile Manipulators ◽

Mobile Platforms ◽

End Effector ◽

Marquardt Method ◽

Base Position

In order to paint large workpieces, heavy painting manipulators are always transported by mobile platforms due to their limited workspaces. To reduce the vibration of the end-effector, the base velocity of the manipulator is constant when painting. In this operation mode, the Starting Base Position (SBP) of the manipulator is important to attain the maximum manipulability and dexterity. This paper aims to optimize the SBP for painting a specified surface efficiently. An approximated decouplable model of painting manipulators is first built to get the analytically expressed inverse kinematic solutions. Then joint-level criteria for one manipulating point reflecting the manipulability and dexterity are proposed, followed by the combined criterion for a painting task about SBP with consideration of the platform velocity. Afterwards, the SBP optimization problem is translated into a least squares problem. To solve such a problem, an initial SBP value is first calculated through an algorithm based on internal penalty function method. Then a modified Levenberg-Marquardt method is employed to get the optimal SBP. Results of applications on painting a straight and an arc path indicate that the method proposed is effective and efficient.

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Optimal Energy Consumption for Mobile Manipulators Executing Door-Opening Task

Mathematical Problems in Engineering ◽

10.1155/2018/8987953 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Changyou Ma ◽

Haibo Gao ◽

Liang Ding ◽

Jianguo Tao ◽

Kerui Xia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

High Energy ◽

Mobile Manipulator ◽

Mobile Manipulators ◽

Joint Torques ◽

Door Opening ◽

Base Position ◽

Energy Consumption Optimization

As a substitute for humans, the mobile manipulator has become increasingly vital for on-site rescues at Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) in recent years. The high energy efficiency of the mobile manipulator when executing specific rescue tasks is of great importance for the mobile manipulator. This paper focuses on the energy consumption of a robot executing the door-opening task, in a scenario mimicking an NPP rescue. We present an energy consumption optimization scheme to determine the optimal base position and joint motion of the manipulator. We developed a two-step procedure to solve the optimization problem, taking the quadric terms of the joint torques as the objective function. Firstly, the rotational motion of the door is parameterized by using piecewise fifth-order polynomials, and the parameters of the polynomials are optimized by minimizing the joint torques at the specified base position using the Quasi-Newton method. Second, the global optimal movement of the manipulator for executing the door-opening task is acquired by means of searching a grid for feasible base positions. Comprehensive door-opening experiments using a mobile manipulator platform were conducted. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been demonstrated by the results of physical experiments.

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